Multiparameter lighting fixtures are lighting fixtures, which illustratively have two or more individually remotely adjustable parameters such as focus, color, image, position, or other light characteristics. Multiparameter lighting fixtures are widely used in the lighting industry because they facilitate significant reductions in overall lighting system size and permit dynamic changes to the final lighting effect. Applications and events in which multiparameter lighting fixtures are used to great advantage include showrooms, television lighting, stage lighting, architectural lighting, live concerts, and theme parks. Illustrative multi-parameter lighting fixtures are described in the product brochure showing the High End Systems product line for the year 2000 and are available from High End Systems, Inc. of Austin, Tex.
Multiparameter lighting fixtures are commonly constructed with a lamp housing that may pan and tilt in relation to a base housing so that light projected from the lamp housing can be remotely positioned to project on the stage surface. Commonly a plurality of multiparameter lights are controlled by an operator from a central controller. The central controller is connected to communicate with the plurality of multiparameter lights via a communication system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,182 titled “Computer controlled lighting system having automatically variable position, color, intensity and beam divergence” to Bornhorst and incorporated herein by reference, disclosed a plurality of multiparameter lights and a central controller.
The lamp housing of the multiparameter light contains the optical components and the lamp. The lamp housing is rotatably mounted to a yoke that provides for a tilting action of the lamp housing in relation to the yoke. The lamp housing is tilted in relation to the yoke by a motor actuator system that provides remote control of the tilting action by the central controller. The yoke is rotatably connected to the base housing that provides for a panning action of the yoke in relation to the base housing. The yoke is panned in relation to the base housing by a motor actuator system that provides remote control of the panning action by the central controller.
A lamp and reflector are used in combination to produce a light path for a theatrical light. It is desirable to have a field of light produced by the theatrical light that does not have artifacts from the lamp image in the projected light. Various means to reduce artifacts in the prior art include facets placed into the reflector, diffusion glass placed into the light path and fly's eye homogenizing lenses. For example the present inventor discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,080 to Belliveau a lenticular array of lens elements for variably shaping a beam of a theatrical light. The Bornhorst '182 patent previously mentioned above discloses an integrating lens 100 formed of a large number of small spherical lens 102 mounted on a flat transparent substrate which acts to homogenize light.
The present inventor's pending patent application Ser. No. 11/516,822, filed on Sep. 7, 2006 discloses a multiparameter theatrical light that incorporates a polymer fresnel output lens to reduce lens weight. This type of lens uses micro lenslets to form the optical power of the lens. Because of the size and frequency of the micro lenslets the polymer fresnel lens is quite transparent to the eye. When a fly's eye homogenizing lens (such as the integrating lens 100 of U.S. patent to Bornhorst '182) is placed in a light path of a theatrical light incorporating a polymer fresnel output lens in the location before the polymer fresnel lens, the honeycomb pattern of a fly's eye homogenizing lens can be easily seen from the outside of the theatrical light. Most prior art theatrical spotlights employ radially designed glass Fresnel lenses as output lenses. An example of this incorporated herein is the Altman 65Q catalog page from Altman Stage Lighting of Yonkers, N.Y.
It is desirable during the presentation of a theatrical light incorporating a polymer fresnel lens to avoid displaying a honeycomb pattern from a fly's eye homogenizing lens as seen through the polymer Fresnel lens. It is desirable to construct a homogenizing lens that does an excellent job of homogenizing while still retaining a radial like visible pattern created by the homogenizing lens.
Effects using various prism types have been used in the prior art with automated theatrical lights. Prism effects can increase the value of an automated theatrical light by augmenting the image varying capability of the light. It would be therefore be desirable to create a new prism effect for an automated theatrical light that has a new dynamic look that can be adjusted by an operator of the theatrical light.